Understand H1B Visa Receipt Number? Meaning ? Track Status USCIS

Once the H1B lottery/random selection is done for any year, the selected applicant’s employer would have got receipt numbers from USCIS. If your employer shares that number with you, you may wonder : What does the H1B case number mean ? What do I do with it ? Can I use it to track my case status ?

We see a quite a bit of cases in our H1B Visa Tracker, that they don’t know the filing center. If you understand the H1B receipt number, you would easily know that and update the same on the tracker to have accurate reporting. This article focuses on helping you understand the H1B Visa receipt number and how you can use it to track your case status online.

What is the H1B Case number meaning? Is there a format?

Firstly, H1B Case number is a unique number given by USCIS for tracking a particular case. Think of it like Social Security Number for an Individual in the US or a Hall Ticket Number for a student. The H1B case number is unique for a case. It is a 13 Character Number and usually starts with a three Alphabets. It follows a certain format as shown below. You can break it down in the below format of

XXX—XX—XXX—XXXXX

The first three characters indicate the filing center of the H1B petition. It would be one of the below:

The second two characters indicate the filing year. It does not indicate the Fiscal year number. It is the actual year the petition was filed.

For H1B Visa 2019 Fiscal year, it would be 18 as you are filing in year 2018.

Sample Format : EAC – 18 – XXX—XXXXX

The next three characters indicate the computer working day of the USCIS fiscal year. It starts from October 1st of the fiscal year. So, for this fiscal year starting from October 1st of 2018, it would be 001 for Oct 1st, it increments for each working day and does NOT include Weekends and Holiday. This day corresponds to the day your H1B Case was receipted by USCIS, it does NOT indicate when they received your petition or filed.

If your case was receipted on April 10th, it would be 130.

Sample format : EAC – 18 – 130 – XXXXX

The next five characters indicate the case number that was assigned to your case on a particular day. For H1B Visa cases, it would typically start with a 5. USCIS typically assigns case numbers for all types of cases processed on a particular day. That’s the reason, we mentioned in article Misconceptions of H1B Processing, that you should not get confused with the case number increments saying that so many H1B cases were processed on a particular day.

Sample format : EAC – 18 – 30 – 51344

What do I do with H1B Case Number ? Can I track status ?

H1B Case number is issued by USCIS to a petitioner to track the status of their case. You can use the H1B Visa Case number to track your petition status. All you need do is go to the USCIS website at URL : https://egov.uscis.gov/casestatus/landing.do and enter your case number there and click on check status. You will get the status information of your H1B petition.

Sign up for Automatic Email and SMS Updates for H1B Case Status Tracking

It can be frustrating to go to USCIS website and check the case status every day right ? USCIS has given a nice facility to get automatic updates. USCIS allows you to track your H1B Case status by signing up for automatic alerts via email and SMS. You can register an account at https://egov.uscis.gov and then enter your details and case number information to get automatic updates.

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Is there any way of checking that the receipt number my lawyers supplied belongs to me? I have heard a bunch of cases where lawyers mess up and give out the wrong receipt numbers so just wanted to make sure that wasn’t the case.

1.i have received email from employer as below mentioned This is to notify that the Immigration authority has approved the Work permit application. and mentioned other details like Workpermit valid From : 01-Oct-2017 Workpermit valid To : 26-Feb-2020 and receipt number. But when i checked on USCIS site the status is “My case is Received” and below message.

On April 11, 2017, we received your Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, Receipt Number EACXXXXXXXX, and sent you the receipt notice that describes how we will process your case. Please follow the instructions in the notice. If you do not receive your receipt notice by May 11, 2017, please call Customer Service at 1-800-375-5283. If you move, go to www.uscis.gov/addresschange to give

Hello team, My employer gave me a receipt number after filing my h1b. I got rfe and my empoyer sent the additional documents to USCIS. This time my employer gavrba different receipt number.i am confused. Could someone help me to understand??

I applied H1B for this year 2016 via a consultancy in us and I got picked in the lottery as per update from that cosultancy . But I got rfe and the cosultancy guy is saying to withdraw the application. What is the probability that he might applied H1B for me in first place? He is not sharing an my info about the case number and whenever I ask him the case number he seem to fooling me around with his words and he hasn’t shared the case number yet n hence I started getting doubts. How can I get the case number from him? How can I change to some other company in case if it’s been applied for sure?? Do I have a option of threatening him to get the details in what ways?? Kindly advise me it’s been a restless night for while and I am not able to let this oppertunity to skip through m hands.

My case was apparently rejected. The “reject case number” is VRN17110*****. But when I enter it at https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/Dashboard.do or call USCIS and enter it through the phone, it’s not recognized.

What I want to do is corroborate that my lawyer did indeed send the petition to USCIS. How can I do this?

Shouldn’t my prospective employer be receiving a letter or email directly from USCIS about my case?

Lottery rejection numbers are not searchable on USCIS site like receipt numbers. You can ask for rejection letter copy from employer. That would have your name, employer name and this rejection number and would prove that petition was indeed applied but didn’t make through the lottery.

Hi! I just got a receipt note with the receipt number starting with WAC-16-…. Does that mean I was selected? Is there a chance that after processing the case is denied? I`m happy but scared of getting my hopes too high… =)

When I tried to check my receipt number online case status through USCIS, getting the validation error as shown below

“My Case Status does not recognize the receipt number entered. Please check your receipt number and try again. If you need further assistance, please call the National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283.”

I got my receipt no 3 days back from my Employer and it starting with WAC-16-145-*****

Hi Guys, My petition was filed under cap exempt premiun. I have few queries.

1. When documents were sent to CSC, how many days it will take to generate case I’d? 2. As already I have an expired petition but not used, will I get again a new petition number or the old one will be used?

I have received reject case# VRP1607112XXX , can any one please explain about this case number, also it can not be verified at USCIS. Error: The application receipt number entered is invalid. Please check your receipt number and try again.

I have plans for travelling and i have stamp for my current h1 bt have applied for an extension, and once i gt tht im travelling and would go for dropbox or interview, but im tensed as i jst got to know my contract with my client is getting over 2 mnths before im leaving….plz help wht to do?

What would be the USCIS working day this year for April 15th ? I have last 5 digits that i can see on the cashed check transaction details and this is processed at california service center, can someone estimate the possible receipt number except the last five characters? Please help.

On USCIS Website when I tried to check the status of my H1B application I found below result. But I am not sure about the meaning of the status. Is it selected ,rejected or pending in the lottery process. I did not get any mail regarding selection or rejection.

Below is what I can see in my Status On April 13, 2015, we received your Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, Receipt Number EAC15XXXXXXXX, and sent you the receipt notice that describes how we will process your case. Please follow the instructions in the notice. If you do not receive your receipt notice by May 13, 2015, please call Customer Service at 1-800-375-5283. If you move, go uscis.gov/addresschange to give us your new mailing address.

On USCIS Website when I tried to check the status of my H1B application I found below result. But I am not sure about the meaning of the status. Is it selected ,rejected or pending in the lottery process. I did not get any mail regarding selection or rejection.

On April 13, 2015, we received your Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, Receipt Number EAC15XXXXXXXX, and sent you the receipt notice that describes how we will process your case. Please follow the instructions in the notice. If you do not receive your receipt notice by May 13, 2015, please call Customer Service at 1-800-375-5283. If you move, go uscis.gov/addresschange to give us your new mailing address.

Can someone help me with this. I checked my case status using the USCIS receipt number EAC1513XXXXXX and got the below mentioned message. I am not sure about the case status. Is it that my application has been selected in the lottery or something else?

Case Was Received and A Receipt Notice Was Emailed

On April 20, 2015, we received your Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, Receipt Number EAC1513XXXXXX, and emailed you a receipt notice. It is being processed at our Vermont Service Center location. The notice describes how we will process your case. Please follow the instructions in the notice. If you move, go to www.uscis.gov/addresschange to give us your new mailing address

i have applied H1B process to one company…i have sent all the necessary documents to that company and that company directly courier to us embassy with their employees application…after that i didnt get my tracking number that company person said after fininshing the lotary process u ll get the tracking number until unless we should wait but i dont have any proof wheather he submited or not…

My Query is 1.after applying shall we get courier(fed ex) tracking id or not ? 2.Suppose if company couriered 10 applications at a time,shall we get tracking id’s individually to all 10 members or only that corresponding company person will get one trackind id for all 10 persons?

Hi, whenever any company files for H1 B , the tracking number is always there .Mostly as per my case,others along with me was sent by fedex by my company lawyer.Mostly the attorney sent the details to USCIS and the same mail is forwarded by company to people whose visa is filed by themOnce the visa gets selected you are assigned a reciept number which can be sent by company to you.The thing is quite transparent only if the company wants to…Good luck bro…

Hi, I have got I-129 and got Approval notice.This I got during 10/01/2009 to 09/01/2012, but I didn’t go for stamping for some reason. I have applied again under CAP exemption and got receipt number EAC-15-XXX-XXXXX. So how long I need to wait for to get approval notice as I have applied under Cap exemption. Please Suggest…!!

Rose, My case was similar i applied in 2014, till today also initial review , i had previous approval ( under exemption), It is purely luck i believe. If your applied Premium processing you will get soon otherwise long wait.. Goodluck

My status in USCIS is in Initial review with the below comments. This is for Premium Processing – H1B Transfer

“”On XXX, 2014, your address was changed relating to the I129, PETITION FOR A NONIMMIGRANT WORKER that you filed. Please check our website at http://www.uscis.gov (http://www.uscis.gov) for further updates on your case. Please wait until the end of normal processing time before calling customer service at 1-800-375-5283 for live assistance.”

I am confused about the address change comment above. Is it okay to have this comment or any action is required from my side.

Hi Vsivarav, Are you sure it is premium processing?I am sorry i am asking you because i thought lottery selection and approvals must be done within 15 days from april 28th for premium candidates.If your friend recieved the receipt yesterday then i hope i stand a chance in lottery selection too.I am regular-NonAdvanced candidate and so far i haven’t recieved reciept yet.Please give your inputs.

Yes. He applied through Premium processing . He also told me that 13 out of 15 employees in his company had got receipts before April 30th . And he got his receipt yesterday. His receipt was dated 28th May. AD/PP candidate .

Though I am still awaiting result but i have a question is it possible that my employer can decline for filing my h1 visa next year?If yes, should I ask them right away as soon i come to know the result for this year? That wil give me some room to find another employer. But what if they say no after jan next year?

Hi, today is June 3 and according to my employer and attorneys we haven’t received either my H1B receipt, the rejection letter or the package back!! Is this normal?? Wouldn’t the receipt number be available if the application was received by USCIS?

Did anyone get receipt notices after May 10 in PP category? I think chances are lose to zero now, and the USCIS is just waiting to send all packets back after they process selected candidates. I asked my lawyer, and he confirmed this with “99.99% surety” verbatim. Not trying to discourage anyone, but just sharing what my lawyer told me.

Please, if anyone who is “PP category”, receives a receipt notice now, do post here, so we all know.

I guess you should not lose hopes till you don’t receive your package back, last year I heard people with regular got notified in June 1st week that their’s was approved, so don’t lose hopes… Good Luck

My status in USCIS is in Initial review with the below comments. This is for RP

“”On XXX, 2014, your address was changed relating to the I129, PETITION FOR A NONIMMIGRANT WORKER that you filed. Please check our website at www.uscis.gov (http://www.uscis.gov) for further updates on your case. Please wait until the end of normal processing time before calling customer service at 1-800-375-5283 for live assistance.”

I am confused about the address change comment above. Is it okay to have this comment or any action is required from my side.

Dear all need your help, i got offer from US based company and sent all required documents, this is my first time applying for visa and i dont know much about the process. following are the things done by my attorney. 1. PERM,AOS,I-140 filed 03-09-2014 Opened process We have received intake information and have initiated processing. Additional documentation and information may be requested. 03-10-2014 File ETA 9035 with DOL LCA filed 03-10-2014 Send Posting Notices Sent Posting Notices to Employer for posting at Two Places at Employee work site. Draft LCA. 03-10-2014 PIF preperation Prepare Public Inspection File Documents 03-10-2014 review LCA information and create LCA screens Review & Collect Information To Prepare PIF 3/17/2014 Questionnaire received The completed questionnaire has been received. You will be notified if additional information or documents are needed. 3/17/2014 LCA Approved We have received the approved Labor Condition Application (LCA) from the Dept. of Labor (DOL). 3/22/2014 Forms/Letter sent to client for signature We have sent the forms/letters prepared for filing out for signature. 3/22/2014 Obtain Ed. Eval. Request an educational evaluation of the Beneficiary/Applicant’s credentials 3/22/2014 All docs received We have received all the documents and information needed and are now preparing the forms/support letters. 3/27/2014 Signed forms/letters received We have received the signed forms/letters and are now preparing to file. 3/31/2014 Filed case We have filed the case and are waiting for the decision.

Hi All, I am a silent follower of this site, i have been following this from past two years…after waiting for 2 long years…i got my receipt today…i wish everyone ovr here …hear the same news….plz believe in god n destiny….keep going all the best….

I’m also AD/PP/VT, but I have to say we’re probably not going to get through. A few attorneys have provided basic stats on their receipts, and it seems like they have received pretty much the number of acceptances you would expect. By my estimation, the success rate for AD applicants is 66%, and several of them are reporting numbers around that.

Is it wrongly typed or a Completely name didn’t entered? If it a spell check error then you should contact them (ask attorney for help) if your complete name was missing then don’t worry much as it difficult to enter complete name if it has more alphabets!

Complete name was not entered. Just a short form of my surname and last name was entered. Just asked attorney threw my consultancy to verify if any issue in initial submission and cross verify. They said, they will update me shortly on this.

there is no way you can keep a track of that, if you employer has filled for more than 10 people. Some employers send all packages together, while some send it individually. the only thing you can do is trust your employer for now, and keep following up with them or your attorney.

Hi Tia, I’ve a question. If our employer/attorney filed about 10 people, they will still have different petition numbers for each individual. Correct? Why would some one petition number would be same with other?

Find the below and in the same sequence they work after sending receipt:

1. Advance/PP: With in fifteen days status changed to RFE/PDA 2. Regular / PP: With in fifteen days status changed to RFE/PDA 3. Advance: Up to 60 Days status changed to RFE/PDA or in some cases it takes more time 4. Regular: Up to 90 Days status changed to RFE/PDA or in some cases it takes more time

Hi, i was on h4 and recently my h1b visa got picked in lottery and approved. So its valid from oct 2014. My husband’s h1b and my h4 will be expiring on sept 30th. I hav 2 queries. -Can i travel to india on h4 now and come back before oct ? -Also,as my husband’s h1b is expiring,is it fine if he applies only his visa extension now and not mine. Do anyone have any idea about my queries .?